Talent isn’t enough: A lot of rappers think that if they can rap good then everything will fall into their lap. This causes them to be very prideful which gives them a false sense of entitlement. They feel like they are owed success because they are skilled.This is often the foreshadowing
of bitterness once they realize things aren’t panning out like they think they should. These type of rappers are often lazy because they feel like they don’t have to work hard in order to be successful.
Aren’t willing to invest: Many rappers are not willing to pay for quality and rather jump at the cheapest prices for music production, studio time, album artwork, & music videos. Having a cheap product will convey to
others that you don’t care and take pride in your music so why should anyone else?
No promotion or distribution: If all you are thinking about is creating the product but are putting little to no effort or investment on how to deliver the product to the market you are doing you and everyone else involved with the project a huge disservice. Promotion and distribution should be giving much thought before budgeting for studio time and audio production. Sadly this is most often an afterthought once the budget has been spent and very few people actually get to hear the project leaving you further in the hole financially with very little fan base growth.
The I can’t afford mindset: Many develop what I like to refer to as the I can’t afford mindset. They say they would like to do things on a larger scale but just can’t afford it. This type of thinking rules out any possibilities. Instead, a slight mental shift to “How can I afford” will show you possibilities you may have never seen before. Maybe instead of trying to do a whole album cheaply, you could focus on doing 1 or 2 songs in excellence. Maybe you can sell stuff around the house, ask for money for Christmas and birthdays, cut your neighbor’s grass, stop buying things like video games brand new and get them used.
Don’t care about people: I’m amazed to see rappers who want to be successful but don’t care about people. I will never understand why someone doesn’t care about the very people who could be a potential supporter of their music. This mindset usually derives from pride as if fans are some type of underlings that are supposed to bow down and worship at their feet. These type of rappers will ignore your facebook & youtube comments, tweets & e-mails.
And I’m not talking about the really famous rappers who are getting tens of thousands of comments on a single Facebook post, I can understand that not being possible. I’m talking about the ones who don’t have a large following and who are simply ignoring potential fans. People typically won’t care about you until they see that you sincerely care about them.
Are insecure: You may only think of insecure people as being shy and timid. That’s not what I mean. Micheal Jackson was extremely shy but his career speaks for its self. Beyoncé is also very shy and hates giving public speeches so obviously these haven’t held these two examples back. I mean insecure in the way that you are easily offended when someone gives you advice or constructive criticism. This can really hold you back from advancing in your craft if you always take advice personal and aren’t willing to apply the help others are trying to give you.
No structure: So many of us have the misconception that if you have a large following on your social media accounts then you have arrived. But the truth is that only a small percentage of your posts actually get seen by your following, especially on facebook and twitter. As these companies have monetized their platforms more you now have to pay for your posts to actually be seen by most of your following.
Plus these social platforms could be gone tomorrow and so could your following. It’s important that you have a more direct way to communicate with your fan base such as a mailing list. Having a website is also important as it’s your own personal digital real estate. Having a website has never been more affordable with companies such as Site Ground so there is no excuse not to have one.
Not passionate: Some rappers simply aren’t truly passionate about rapping. Once things don’t seem to be happening quickly they get burned out and fade into the sunset. If you want to “make it” as a rapper then you need to truly love the craft. This means that you don’t have to be making money to be happy doing it. Truly loving this craft will give you the endurance to keep moving forward regardless of the circumstances and that’s how real-life results are experienced. Trees don’t grow 10 feet overnight but they do grow.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is talent can only take you so far. But strong sacrificial work ethic, good character and the desire to always learn can open doors for you that skill alone can not. If you want to be successful in anything in life you can with the right amount of determination and knowledge. Learn from others mistakes and successes. If you ever want to know what the path you are heading down is like just ask someone who is on their way back.
Primac Sound 